Million Dollar Spaghetti

This Million Dollar Spaghetti is a hearty and budget-friendly casserole that's full of delicious ingredients!  It starts with a pasta and sauce layer, then a creamy cheese center, then more pasta and sauce, next a meat sauce layer topped off with some melted mozzarella cheese.  It's definitely one of those meals the whole family will love!

So I know we’re all cozy at home together -  whether we like it or not.  And I say let’s make the best of it!

Make a meal that’s easy and delicious, play some games, go on a brisk walk, watch your favorite movies, and act like it’s Christmas vacation.  Minus the snow and freezing temps. 

There is a silver lining to every cloud people, even in the darkest of storms…  you just have to find it. 

Recently we had friends in town, and because we had some littles in the group, we opted out of any of the usual Florida tourist venues with large crowds, just to be super-safe.  I need to tell you it was soooo fun!

We made our own 2020 Olympic Games – girls against the guys -  and it was better than going to Disney World and Bush Gardens all in the same day.  Not even kidding.

We started with painting fierceness on our faces: girls’ team (aka “Lady Eagles”) in red, and the guys’ team (aka “Blue Dragons”) in blue – of course.

Next we had opening ceremonies, with teams entering to the songs of their choice, and the craziness unfolded from there. 

We had minute-to-win-it games like Cookie Head, Cup Stack and Popcorn Catch.

There was a softball tournament where the 18-month old may have caught a line drive to the cheek from her mom (it was a Nerf ball people, settle down!).  She only cried for 20 seconds  - not from pain, just from surprise.  Seriously, no small children were harmed in the production of this post!

We had a watermelon eating contest (the girls won!!!) that turned into a food fight, and then a pool dunking excursion.  Amazingness I tell you!!

We had raft races in the pool, and an obstacle course that was dominated by our very own teen sensation RC, who set the new course record at just 18 seconds!  Yep - that girl is on fire!

Honestly, it was the most fun I’ve had in forever – even better than life-threatening rollercoasters on repeat!  Yup – real talk.

Can we pause for a quick sec?  I just want to encourage you to take a few minutes, come up with some silly games, get your crew together and have some old fashioned fun!

Trust me - you’ll probably enjoy it more than the kiddos.

If you need some ideas, please e-mail me.  I was a youth director and I have a suitcase full of super-fun and silly games at the ready!

Not only did we have tons of fun, we ate some really delicious meals as well.  All prepared at home, I might add.  Annnd it was all “better than restaurant food,” said everyone in the group.

All you need are the right supplies, and the right recipes my friend.  You've got this!

Can I get a drumroll please???

Million Dollar Spaghetti!

I’m rolling out this incredibly delicious family favorite today… Million Dollar Spaghetti!!!  

It’s so tasty and versatile - I'm sure you already have all the ingredients on hand to make it... spaghetti, sauce, meat and cheese!

You’ll be winning like crazy if you make this deliciousness.  

PS:  If you have some leftover spaghetti sauce in the fridge this is the perfect time to use it.

Like I said this recipe is versatile – you can use whatever you have on hand... here are a few examples:

What Pasta to use in Million Dollar Pasta?

You can use whatever pasta you like!  Yep, traditionally spaghetti is used in this dish but if don’t have it on hand then just use whatever you have at the ready. 

If you want to stick with a long thin pasta then Angel Hair or Fettucine would work.  Or, you can change it up with a shorter pasta like penne, macaroni elbows… you get the idea.

You will need to adjust the pasta cook time in the recipe below, to follow the instructions for the type of pasta you are using.  For this recipe I cooked the pasta al dente minus two minutes.

What meat can I use in Million Dollar Spaghetti?

As for the meat – I used 93% lean ground beef.  You can use any ground meat you’d like:  ground chicken, turkey, veal or pork. 

The one thing you need watch is the fat content.  If there’s more than 7% fat in your meat, you’ll want to drain the fat after the meat is cooked before you add it into the spaghetti casserole.

What Cheese can I use for Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole?

About the cheesiness… so there’s this yummy million dollar cheese layer in the middle of this casserole.  It can consist of a mixture of any combination of the following:

• Cream cheese
• Mozzarella cheese
• Sour cream
• Greek yogurt
• Parmesan cheese
• Ricotta cheese
• Cottage cheese

I know what you’re thinking: that’s A LOT of cheese!  Yep, only the best for you my friend.  But in all seriousness… you can use any combination of these cheeses that you want.   I went with 8 ounces cream cheese, 8 ounces ricotta, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella and about 3 tablespoons of water to thin it out… It’s sooo good!

Are you ready to get your casserole on??

Let’s do this people!!

How To Make Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti

1. First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook the pasta according to package instructions for al dente minus two minutes, then drain the pasta.

3. Next, add the pasta and 3 cups of marinara/spaghetti sauce to the pasta and fold together.

4. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes.

5. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. 

6. Add the ground meat, 3 teaspoons Italian Seasoning and 1 teaspoon salt, cook for 4-5 minute or until no pink remains.

7. Add 3 cups of marinara/spaghetti sauce to the skillet and set aside.

8. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, water and parsley – then set it aside.

To assemble the casserole:

1. Add half the spaghetti noodles and sauce to a 9x13 baking dish. 

2. Spread the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the spaghetti.  

3. Add the rest of the spaghetti to the ricotta cheese layer.

4. Layer the meat mixture sauce on next.

5. Then top with 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.

6. Bake covered with tin foil in the oven until the casserole is heated through and bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes.  Remove the tin foil and bake for 3-5  minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

This yummy Million Dollar Spaghetti casserole is absolutely something the whole family will enjoy!  Truly comfort food at its best!